UFC middleweight Michael Bisping releases photo of injured eye

No MMA injury is worth messing around with, least of all one to an eye.

That’s what will have UFC middleweight contender Michael Bisping sidelined for the near future, and on Sunday the fighter tweeted out a picture of what has him on the shelf.

In late September, a detached retina forced Bisping out of the main event of UFC Fight Night 30, which takes place later this month in Manchester, England. Bisping (24-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) was replaced by former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida (19-4 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in the main event against Mark Munoz (13-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC).

UFC Fight Night 30 takes place Oct. 26 at Phones 4u Arena (previously known as Manchester Arena) in Manchester. The evening’s main card airs in the U.S. on FOX Sports 2 following prelims on Facebook.

Bisping’s withdrawal from the card came with repercussions beyond just his eye. The brash Brit, whose home base is Manchester when he’s in his home country, was going to be fighting in front of an English crowd for the first time in more than three years. Now that has to get put on hold.

Bisping took to his Twitter account several days after the announcement of the injury to let fans know how disappointed he was at having to pull out with the injury, saying: “Words cannot describe how sad I am having to withdraw from my fight. My sincere apologies to evry1 who bought tickets. I will be back soon. I apologise to the UFC, to Munoz and to everyone who bought tickets.”

On Sunday, he tweeted a photo of his injured right eye through his Instagram account.

There has been no time table issued for just how long “The Count” will be sidelined.

Bisping was recently on the cusp of a long-awaited title shot before a January loss to Vitor Belfort ruined his chances. But he recently rebounded with a technical decision win over Alan Belcher. With two wins his past three fights and a 6-2 mark since early 2010, “The Ultimate Fighter 3″ winner remains a top contender at 185 pounds.

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